Apparatus for injection molding



March 2, 1948 JR- 2,436,993 7 APPARATUS FOR INJECTION MOLDING Filed Aug. 4, 1945 38 26 23 32 9' r v 20 Mun/110R w Q Q 22* 24 Patented Mar. 2, 1948 F John It. ':'Fisher,"tJr.,i Dayton, Ohio, assignor to "HefP-M DevelopmenhCorporation,-Wilmington, y

-De1., aneorporationof Delaware -Application'August 4, 1945*;Seria1No; 608,904 Y l 4Claims. (oils-fast 'This :invention relates. to: apparatusvfor: mold- I I .ing' materials such :as plastics or Zplasticshaving sgranulated metals dispersed-therein.

The particular object of this .inven-tionis' to Provide :an .apparatus 1' for molding-which .-.=will "substantially". decreaserthe time "required for cycle .;of :cperations.

It. is :also an object ito providesian apparatus for molding. relatively .largebhjectsswhich here- It-is; another 'objectsto":providewan: apparatus 'iormolding. which: is :oonserving :of :heat; utiliz- 1ngonly-sormuch heat as is-required: torraise the required .amountmofr. material tocmolding "temperature.

This invention :is particularly directed,.-Jbut is --not intended f-to-be alimited to',.:-the-.imolding. of large objects "which areepresse'dein e'atedildies. In this method :"of. molding ithesheatais customthedieportiin I2, a ainstthe'fixeddie portion arily conductedito'the molding imaterialathrough :the dies from" heated. :platens. r jInthe case of largeworkpiecesthis requires a very long cy'cle amounting, in'some cases, *to :morerthan ran hour.

- tofore have srequired adong. work icycleiinaorder 1 torform.

Qt'ion. "L'hedie some? I0 and 2 define a cav ty .,l 4..of ,relativelylarge capacity.

. .LfIhe..die .portionc. I2 has a sprue. opening. .16

.therein. which. communicates .with a passage .18

in the chamber.-20.whichissuperimposedon the die p.ortion...l2..ilrheiohamber.ZOis supported on .rods 12-. which. are .received.in. counter-bored ,recesses-in. the .die portionl 2. Springs 24 urge .thechamber .20. away .from .thedie lportion. l2.-so

that .thei-sprue may bebroken .in. order to facili tatelt'he. removal .of-the workpieces from the. die. The .chamber. .isadapted toreceive. the porcated by any suitable motor means such as a fluid .operable. ram. -The.- portionuzfi. is adapted. to

Liorce the molding. materialfrpm. the chamber 20 Not only does thisilong work cycleztieaup diesj machinery and labor .for l a long :period of: time, but there'is also a t.endency for the-workpiece 'to over-cure "on "the outside portionaithereof.

Thus, iinferior workpieces aoftenresult'wh'enrthe object-:is largei'and lthey are'formed according to p '10;.0()0,cyc1es per second and higher in order methods commonlyapraoticed.

This invention. proposes the use of high frequency electric currents -to:.'generate-. heat. :in

. order .to'facilitate the zmoldingeof-zlarge..robjects and. 73,150 yto de'crease 'ithe-itime. 'of; .the. work ccycle necessary.

This invention will {be :more .fully "understood upon reference. to "the 5 following i/desoription taken in connection 'with'the :attached :drawings, in which:

filled;.and v H5 i re 4' showsone iorm oim dified pressin plunger and heatingichamber.

. Referringtothe drawings, i=0. in icates an-lii te adie'portion land. l,2 indicates another'die portion wada-pted. to cooperate with thessaid fixed per-5555 has been heated-and the-plunger-has comthroughthe openings I 8.. and l 6 .into the cavity I4 while. the shoulder.-between the portions .26 a dJB- adapt d "t gegeth u er portion of the .chamberiZll and to force' it,'together with source of alternating current at '36. A switch 38 is selectively operable to connect or disconnect the. coil from the" oscillator 36.

The oscillator is preferably adapted for generating high frequency'electric oscillations on the order of from and to. the molding material.

"trio field and is preferably magnetic.

The chamber-Ellis of an electrically conductive material in order to'absorb energy from the elec- The 'dies may'a-lso be electrically conductive and are thus adapted for absorbingiheat from the field of the Operation thithe -operation of'thisdevice, apredetermined amount'of the-material to. be molded is placed -"within *the chamber 20 as'ihdicated in Figure 1.

is energized and-the material is-raised to mold- The-switch 38 isthen closed sothat the coil 30 ing temperature "by'the heat conducted thereto *fromthechamber 20 which is heated by the alaterna'tin'g field of electromagnetic induction set 0 'upbythe-coil "30. If'the'molding material in- -.'cludes :metallic particles: heatis also developed -therein 7 by the aforementioned: field.

After-the material is sufficiently plastic to'flow throughgthe openings l6 and 18 the plunger is advanced so that:- the portion 26 thereof 'commay be made, in the structure while employing L the method of this invention, one of which is illustrated in Figure 4 wherein parts similar to the parts of Figure 1 are correspondingly num I bered with a subscript a. In this figure the por tioh 26a of the plunger has a conical end thereon and the chamber a is formed to the same general shape. This form of chamber and plunger facilitate the removal of excess material from the said chamber should itbecome hardened therein as well as promoting the flow of the material fromthe chamber to the die. It will be apparent that this invention provides for an improved'method of molding large objects which substantially decreases the length of time of the'work cycle. Also, this method is conserving of heat inasmuch as' only the needed amount of material is'heated, and it is not necessary to maintain a high temperature at thesurfac'eof thedie in order to" cause the heat to flow therethrough into the plastic.

It will be understood that various modifications and arrangements in structure could be made without departing from the spirit ofmy invention and, accordingly, I desire to comprehend such modificationsand substitutions of equivalents as may be considered to come within the scope of the appended claims.

'Iclaim:

1. An apparatus ,fo r",moldin'g material which becomes plastic when heated comprising; a multipart die having a cavity, and a transverseparting plane; anelectrically conductive container; means for yieldably supporting and spacing said container on said die comprising a plurality of bores in said die, springs in said bores engaging the under side of said container andpins carried by said container extending, into said bores; means for heating the material to molding temperature comprising an induction coil about the container for heating; the container and there-, through the material;-a restricted passage in said container and a passage aligned therewith in said die for permitting .theflow of material from the former to the latter; a single pressing plunger operable in one stroke to clamp the die together, to move the container against the die, to transfer the material.- into the :die, cavity,,.and to exert pressure on the material within'the die cavity the materialpressing area ofsaid plunger being greater than the projected area of said.

cavity for maintaining aclamping thrust on said die throughout a pressing cycle; and a shoulder on said plunger-to engage said container and therethrough positively to hold said'die clamped at the end of a working stroke of the plunger;

2. An apparatus for molding material which becomes plastic when heated comprising; a multipart die having a cavity and a transverse parting plane; an electrically conductive container; said container and die constituting two relatively movable members, means for yieldably supporting said container on said die comprising a plurality of bores in one member, springs in said bores separating said members and pins carried by said other member extending into the bores in said one member; means for heating the material to molding temperature comprising an induction coil about the container for heating the container and therethrough the material; a restricted passage in said container and a passage aligned therewith in said die for permitting the flow of material from the former to the latter; a single pressing plunger operable in one stroke to clamp the die together, to move the container against the die, to transfer the material into the die cavity, and to exert pressure on the material v within the die cavity, the material pressing area of saidplunger being greater than the projected area of said cavity for maintaining a clamping thrust on said die throughout a pressing cycle; and a shoulder on said plunger to engage said container and therethrough positively to' hold said die clamped at the end of a working stroke of the plunger.

3. An apparatus for molding material which becomes plastic when heated comprising; a mu1tipart die having a cavity and a transverse parting plane; an electrically conductive container; said container and die constituting two relatively movable members, means. for yieldably supporting said container on said die comprising a plurality of bores in one member, resilient means in said bores separating said members and pins carriedby said other member extending into the bores in said one member; means for heating the material to molding temperature comprising an induction coil about the container for heating the container and therethrough the material; a restricted passage in said container and a passage aligned therewith in said die for permitting the flow of material from the former to the latter; a single pressing plunger operable in one stroke to clamp the die together, to move the container against the die, to transfer the material into the die cavity, and to exert pressure on the material within the die cavity, the material pressing area of said plunger being greater than the projected area of said cavity for maintaining becomes plastic when heated comprising; a multipart die having a cavity and a transverse parting plane; an electrically conductive container; said container and die constituting two relatively movable members, means for yieldably supporting said container on said die comprising plurality of bores in one member, springs in said bores separating said members and guide means carried by said other member extendinginto the bores in said one member; means for heating the material to molding temperature comprising an induction coil about the container for heating the container andtherethrough the material; a restricted passage in said container and a passage aligned therewith in said die for permitting the flow of material from the former to the latter; a single pressing plunger operable in one stroke to clamp the die together, to move the container against the die, to transfer the material into the die cavity, and to exert pressure on the material within the die cavity, the material .5 Messing area of said plunger being greater than the projected area of said cavity for maintaining a clamping thrust on said die throughout a pressing cycle; and a shoulder on said plunger to en-' gage said container and therethrough positively to hold said die clamped at the end of a working stroke of the plunger.

JOHN R. FISHER. JR.

REFERENCES CITED 7, The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name 7 Date Number Ledwinka. Oct. 18, 1927 Number Number Name Date Shaw July 4, 1933 Shaw July 25,1933 Novotny Apr. 5, 1935 Marcus Oct. 15, 1935 Smith Dec. 24, 1940 Shaw Feb.'24, 1942 Crosby Aug. 14, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Oct. 19, 1928 France Oct. 9, 1933 

